Durango Bike Company – Hooey

I first caught a glimpse of the new Hooey fat-bike from the Durango Bike Company when I was looking through photos that Mark Peterson had taken at the Global Fatbike Summit last week and I was intrigued so I reached out to the company through their websites email address. The next morning I was greeted with a call from Head DBC honcho Jeff Estes who was right there in Ogden at the Summit. I arranged for Jeff to show the Hooey to Mark who said “This isn’t your ordinary fat-bike!” Slack angles, a front suspension fork and made for the type of mountainous terrain Durango locals love to ride!

Here is the Hooey’s story direct from Jeff and Wendy at DBC:

What was the inspiration for the Hooey?

The rugged mountain terrains of Colorado don’t lend themselves to the same type of fat bike riding experience that the picturesque landscapes of the Midwest offer. Our sportsmen here don’t tend to ride bikes much less pack the tools of the trade on their bikes…they use gasoline and torque to get where they are going which is ultimately to the high country where the big animals reside. We are blessed in this region to have bicycle friendly communities, plenty of open spaces, and no competition of trails or enthusiasts. Durango Bike Company (DBC) needed a winter bike that we could ride right out our front doors on the same trails we use in the summer on our skinnier knobby tires. We needed a winter bike that could descend and we didn’t fear losing our front teeth on. We needed a winter bike that could climb on packed snow as well as single track trails with ease because, really, everything in Colorado seems to go up before it goes down.

The Hooey has some of the slackest angles we’ve seen on a fat-bike. What’s up with that?

Safety first! We raked the head tube to a whopping 67° angle and extended the top tube. Riders actually sit inside the bike not on top like a tractor and control the front wheel from the head tube not 3” past. Forward weight and handlebar positioning is transferred to the front of the bike frame NOT over the front tire. What is noticed when the front positioning changes, the ability to control the fatty wheel and the ability to handle off camber terrains is greatly improved and even allows the opportunity to take drop off’s and jumps. The adjustable 80mm to 115mm front suspension fork allows the rider to maintain cornering and hold the line through the sketchy terrain by using compression instead of air volume in the front tire which ultimately leads to better control of the bike.

Comfort second! The raking of the head tube, the bent seat tube and fully adjustable rear 150mm axle allows the rider to position their body weight over the cranks and rear of the frame thereby optimizing their ability to climb without spinning the tires and distributing their body weight as they see fit. Rider’s body compositions are different so DBC made a bike that could adjust not only the length of rider inseam by raising and lowering the seat but also where rider weight is distributed on the frame…everyone is different so let’s make it work for everyone. Speaking of comfort, DBC designed the bottom bracket to house 83mm downhill cranks rather than the standard fat bike crank losing weight and creating a less bull-legged pedal stroke. The hip fatigue especially for vertically challenged riders seems to disappear with the tighter bottom bracket and in turn, is stronger and stiffer.

Cool factor third! Hydroformed aluminum tubing, tubeless 4.0” – 120 tpi tires, fully adjustable wheelbase with 150mm rear axle for added lateral stiffness and easily converts to single speed for those who are the truest of grit. The HOOEY also offers a lower standover than most fat-bikes so riders don’t bash their goodies and can swing winter-clad legs over the top like a ballerina in deep powder, and most of all, hand built right here in a 100% solar powered facility by American craftsmen who share the same love of the sport as you do!

Details:

Lightweight Hydroformed Aluminum Frame – No 40lb. fatty here…gone are the days of only pedaling in your granny gear! Welded right here in the USA

Adjustable Inverted Front Fork Suspension – 80-115mm – DBC’s own – built and tuned just for our fatties! Do you ride a summer bike without suspension? Neither do we!

15mm Front Thru Axle for added Stiffness

Tubeless Fatbike Wheel made right here in the USA – Less rolling weight, better PSI adjustment, much lighter and faster!

About Greg Smith

Greg Smith, known to many site visitors as Sven Hammer, founded Fat-bike.com in 2011 and the site quickly became the #1 online community for all things Fat. You can currently find Greg outfitting Everyday Cycles; a Milwaukee, WI retailer of gear for fatbikers, adventure cyclists and urban assault riders.

I had the honor of meeting Jeff Estes at the Fat-Bike Summit. He is my kind of guy, fun personable and intune with the progression of Fat Biking. After we talked about the many features of the incredible looking Fat Bike with front suspension Jeff let me go find something to jump on the new Hooey fat-bike from the Durango Bike Company. The first thing I noticed was the sag on the front fork canceled the raked out feeling I was expecting. I like my bikes to be a bit twitchy for the local singletrack I ride, and Instantly I felt at home on this bike. The bike was nimble and reacted instantly to input. Climbing in and out of the saddle was delightful and comfortable. I snuck away from the crowds to find something I could launch. I found a semi exposed fairway bunker the fit the bill. As I rode into my line the bike felt as if I had always ridden it. The front suspension responded beautifully. I pre loaded the fork on the back side of the jump and floated for a second in the air. The landing was like something I have been dreaming of for years. On a Fat Bike the landings can get real squirrely quickly causing the front end to rebound in unusual ways – not on this bike which was very calm and predictable. My time was shorter on this bike than I would have liked. I fell in love at first pedal. The Hooey will change the way Fat Bikers can ride and where, and best of all how hard and fast while staying in total control. Thank you for letting me ride your incredible bike!

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